Latest / Abide Meditation App / Bedtime Story for a Peaceful Sleep _ The Boy Who Talks to Cats

Transcript

Bedtime Story for a Peaceful Sleep _ The Boy Who Talks to Cats · Abide Meditation App

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax,
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. My name's Tom, and it's my
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: honour to be your host. Thanks so much for tuning in.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Arif will be reading tonight's story, and it's a bit
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: of a fantastical one, about a boy who helps some
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: of his feline companions in the neighborhoods of Bangkok, Thailand,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: to find a new home. Now then, it's nearly time
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: for our story. So take a deep breath in, holding
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: at the top, then gently release the air back out.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Continue to breathe deeply and find a pace that is
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: comfortable for you. Often at night, various things can play
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: on our mind. Events from the day, things we need
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: to do tomorrow, worries and concerns, or even excitement that
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: keeps our brain busier than is ideal for sleep. And
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: it's difficult to know quite how to deal with and
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: respond to these thoughts. But if you've listened to this
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: podcast for a while, you might be familiar with the
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: suggestion I'm about to give you. And that's that each
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: time a thought pops up in your mind, trying to
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: grab your attention, just try saying, not now. You can
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: acknowledge that the thought is there, but by responding, not now,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: you're sending a signal to your brain that you've seen
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: that thought, but that this is not the opportune time
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: to deal with it. So you say, not now, and
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: it can gently float away like a cloud drifting across
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: a blue sky. And when you are better prepared to
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: deal with that thought, it will come back to you
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: during the day. So continue to breathe deeply, allowing your
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: mind to soften and settle. And eventually, you can drift
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: off with ease. In the meantime, let your imagination be
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: your guide and let's meet a boy named Lek and
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: his feline friend on the busy streets of Bangkok.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: While he's waiting for the light to change, Lek looks
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: up at one of Bangkok's street cats, who walks along
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: a wall before hopping down and disappearing between two buildings.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: Lek smiles to himself and glances up at the bright
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: blue sky, past the shadows and cement of the skytrain tracks.
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Even though he's lived in Bangkok his whole life, and
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: he's used to the huge rail lines and colossal cement pillars,
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: it's easy to forget there's a sky beyond the buildings
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: and megamalls. His friend Chinda nudges him when the light changes. So,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: he tunes back into the conversation about their science teacher
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: as they walk. Chinda finds it so silly that he
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: hasn't memorized the periodic table. But Chinda is the only
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: person Lek knows who has memorized it. The two friends
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: pass the gargantuan malls and shopping centers along Rama I Road,
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: the art and cultural center, and glimmering facades with a
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: labyrinth of stores and passageways. Shinda may know the periodic
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: table by heart, but Lek knows Patumwan, the bustling commercial
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: district they've both grown up in. he could probably walk
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: the streets and malls with his eyes closed. A train
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: rumbles overhead, and they can feel the vibrations in the
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: air as they walk underneath the cement canopy. From below,
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: they follow the sky train all the way to the
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: end of the line above Rama I. near the national stadium.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Then they turn off onto their own street, Kasim San
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: Tu Alley. Calling this place an alley is like calling
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: a lion a kitten. They may be in the same family,
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: but in Bangkok, alleys are communities unto themselves. Aside from
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: the apartment buildings and condos, there are restaurants, nail salons,
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: and little stores up and down the narrow road. As
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: they walk, the two friends stop and greet familiar neighbors.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: They don't even have to think about it. Their respectful
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: hellos automatically. As Chinda is chatting with an elderly neighbor,
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: Lek sees a flash of something out of the corner
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: of his eye. He turns and catches a glimpse of
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: a small yellow bobtail. It's disappearing under a fragrant, yellow-flowered
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: cassia bush in the driveway of a condo complex. When
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: he turns back to see if Chinda is done, there's
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: a cat sitting in front of him, looking grumpy or
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: at least very serious. The cat blinks slowly, his eyes
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: studying lackadaisically. Lek recognizes this cat, even though there are
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: more than a dozen cats in the neighborhood. This one
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: is a buttery yellow with stripes of white. He has
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: short fur, long and lanky legs, and a sharp, angular
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: face with matching amber eyes. Like a lot of other
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: cats in the city, this one has a stunted tail,
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: just a tiny fuzzy bob. Leck calls him Omelette because
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: even though the cat appears very serious at first, when
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: he lies on his side and sunbathes, he looks like
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: an egg. Lex smiles and puts his hand together to
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: show respect, then gives a polite bow. Hello, uncle, he
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: says to the cat, giving the usual greeting for an
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: older man whose name he doesn't know. I hope you're
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: having a good day. It's passable for now. Omelette replies,
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: his voice deep and gravelly, with a tone as cautious
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: as his stare while he continues to study Lek. The
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: boy nods at the response. Are you talking to that cat?
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: Shinda asks. Lek turns around to see his friend and
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: the older woman staring at him. Lek shrugs and turns back.
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: but Omelette is gone. Leck can understand and talk to cats.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: He has no idea why, but he's always been able to.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: He used to translate messages for his mom or his friends,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: but they always assumed he was just a child with
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: an overactive imagination. Eventually he realized that other people couldn't
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: talk to cats, so he kept it to himself. But
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: he still makes sure to check in with the neighborhood
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: felines from time to time. They are territorial, but also protective.
• 11:15
  Speaker 2: They care for the neighborhood in their own mysterious ways.
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: Once Chinda says goodbye to the older woman, they continue
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: on home. Chinda teases Lek about how much he loves cats.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: He just gives the same shrug and smiles shyly. Lek
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: lives in a big apartment building with his mom and
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: his grandmother. Their apartment itself isn't huge, but it's comfortable.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: They could move into a larger space, or maybe even
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: a house. His mom is a dentist, and she makes
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: enough money. But the apartment is close to her dental
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: clinic and to Lex's school. so the three of them
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: share the cozy two-bedroom. Leck enjoys living in Batum Wan.
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: It's busy and noisy, especially on the main roads. But
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: if Leck and his grandmother want a bit of quiet,
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: they can walk down to the end of the alley
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: and sit by the water gate. a narrow cement channel
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: of water running through the city. Plus, there are all
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: the neighborhood cats. Cats are everywhere in Bangkok, and Lek
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: has made friends with quite a few of them. As
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: he gets ready for dinner, Lek wonders why Omelette came
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: over to speak with him this afternoon. Omelette's usually a
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: bit more standoffish. He finds out after dinner when his
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: grandmother sends him out to grab them both some ice cream.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: Lex's grandmother has a sweet tooth, but is supposed to
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: be cutting back on sugar. Every once in a while,
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: they sneak an ice cream as a treat. On his
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: way back home, with a pint of ice cream swinging
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: in a canvas bag on his shoulder, Leck sees a
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: flash at the side of the road. Suddenly, Omelette is
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: sitting in front of him in the middle of the alley.
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: They lock eyes, and Leck stops. Cats like to size
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: one another up, so he gives Omelette a moment before
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: bowing politely as he did before. You can understand us,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: Omelette says. Leck nods his head. Come with me, says Omelette.
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: Lek holds up the bag of ice cream. It's the
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: hot season, so even later in the day, it's still sweltering.
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: Can I get this back home first before it melts?
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: Lek asks. Omelette's little bobtail flicks back and forth. No,
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: he replies. With that, Omelette turns away and struts off
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: the road. Leck shrugs and follows the cat to a
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: cluster of flower bushes. As he walks, Omelette's fuzzy yellow
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: bobtail wiggles behind him. Leck has to duck under an old,
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: broken fence. but it's actually pretty easy to follow Omelette
• 15:59
  Speaker 2: between the flowers. Leck thinks he hears something further on,
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: but he's stopped by Omelette sitting in front of him again,
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: blocking his way. With a serious look on his face,
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: Leck feels a bit silly crouched down in a flower
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: bush talking to a cat. He hopes no one walks
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: by and notices him. The cat is sizing him up again.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: I need your help, says Omelette. This bush has been
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: my home for many years, and this alley my territory
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: for as long as I could hunt but I need
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: to leave. Fleck nods, though he's kind of disappointed to
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: hear it. He likes becoming familiar with the neighborhood cats
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: whenever they stick around. Fleck doesn't understand why Omelette has
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: come to him, though. so he asks if the cat
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: needs directions somewhere. I've lived on these streets since before
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: you were born, young one. No, I do not need directions,
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: says Omelette. The cat glances in the direction of the
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: noise Lek heard before. Omelette explains that that he always
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: thought he'd be on his own, until one day, he
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: met someone special. Another cat he wanted to spend his
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: life with. Lex smiles and says, Congratulations, I'm very happy
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: for you. Omelette's posture relaxes, and his face softens. His
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: bobtail flicks thoughtfully, and he glances in the direction of
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: the sound. Then, he turns and leads the way through
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: the bushes. Soon, he steps into a small clearing at
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: the back. Lek follows and sees a mother cat lying
• 18:49
  Speaker 2: on her side, tucked up against the stone wall of
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: the condo's garden, with her calico back to him. A
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: little white kitten wriggles up over the mother cat's belly,
• 19:07
  Speaker 2: squeaking quietly. The mother cat glances up, her longer, puffy
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: tail swishing back and forth, interested in the newcomer. Lek
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: glances over his belly and sees five more kittens, who
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: are all a mix of white, pale yellow, and calico.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: The first kitten who climbed up is so young, it
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: hasn't even opened its eyes yet. Omelette introduces Lek to
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: his partner, who is a white cat with black and
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: brown calico patterns. She doesn't give her name, so Lek
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: decides to call her Hash Brown. Omelette explains that the
• 20:10
  Speaker 2: alley is fine for an adult cat, but between the
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: humans and their traffic, it's not a good place to
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: raise kittens. But he heard of a temple in the
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: city to the northwest, where kind monks care for street cats.
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: It seems like a much better place for kittens to frolic.
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: Omelette can't explain where the temple is exactly, but he
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: describes it as being as white as a cloud and
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: as hard as stone. Leck thinks for a moment and
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: realizes he knows the place. There's a famous marble temple
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: in the government district. Since the kittens haven't opened their
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: eyes yet, it would be impossible for Omelette and Hashbrown
• 21:17
  Speaker 2: to move the family to the temple by themselves. Omelette
• 21:23
  Speaker 2: is talking about a move to the temple as though
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: it would be an epic quest. But for Leck, it's
• 21:34
  Speaker 2: only about an hour-long walk. or maybe a little longer,
• 21:39
  Speaker 2: when he's with his grandmother. He supposes the world seems
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: bigger when you're smaller. Leck agrees to help the family
• 21:52
  Speaker 2: move to the temple. Omelette says he'll walk alongside Leck,
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: but they'll need something to carry Hashbrown and the kittens in.
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: Of course, Black replies with a smile, crawling back out
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: of the bush and getting a confused look from a
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: couple walking by. He tells his grandmother that he's going
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: out to see Chinda for a couple of hours and
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: messages her to cover for him. She agrees. but asks
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: him what he's doing. He just tells her he's helping
• 22:43
  Speaker 2: some of his neighbors move. Then, Leck finds the cozy-looking
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: cardboard box his mom's new fan came in, puts a
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: bottle of water in his backpack, and heads out. Omelette
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: is waiting for him when he returns. his amber eyes
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: peering out of the bush. Bleck asks if he can
• 23:15
  Speaker 2: pet the kittens, and after a long, appraising glance, Omelette
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: blinks slowly in agreement. The kittens are so young, they're
• 23:30
  Speaker 2: just tiny, wriggling balls of fluff. Their full coloration hasn't
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: come in yet. Four of the kittens will probably be calico-patterned,
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: like hash brown. And two look like fuzzy balls of butter,
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: taking after Omelette. The kittens wriggle and squeak in the
• 24:00
  Speaker 2: corner of the box. Lek reaches in his hand and
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: gives them gentle head rubs. They begin to mew softly.
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: One of the buttery yellow kittens seems curious about Lek's hand.
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: It squirms over to him, hardly able to control its
• 24:28
  Speaker 2: squishy legs, and sniffs at his fingers curiously. Lek decides
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: that this kitten is his favorite and names her Roti. Eventually,
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: Ash Brown climbs in and the kittens curl up next
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: to her. Then, Lek picks up the box, reassuring Omelette
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: that he'll be extra careful with its precious cargo. First,
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: he rests the box on his knees so he can
• 25:10
  Speaker 2: crab walk out from behind the bush. Omelette seems satisfied
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: by this and dashes ahead, leading the way. Once he's
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: out of the bush, Leck holds the box carefully in
• 25:31
  Speaker 2: both hands. They head north, down to the end of
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: the alley, and pass by a tourist attraction. It's a big,
• 25:46
  Speaker 2: ruddy brown house that looms up on the left by
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: the waterway. A mix of Thai and American architecture. They
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: turn down a cement path along the water gate. heading
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: westwards following the water. Every once in a while, Lex
• 26:12
  Speaker 2: sees people giving him strange looks, but only because a
• 26:17
  Speaker 2: cat is marching proudly in front of him. Street cats
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: with big personalities are common enough, though, so no one
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: bothers to watch them too closely. Lek loves this walkway,
• 26:38
  Speaker 2: with the water gate on one side and a wall
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: of leafy greenery on the other. The cool, earthy smell
• 26:50
  Speaker 2: of plant life that people grew here to make the
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: city greener always leaves him feeling calm and content. He
• 27:03
  Speaker 2: passes through a small, open-air restaurant just before the bridge,
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: furnished with colorful plastic chairs, red metal tables, and an
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: old soda fridge. The smell of curry and noodle soup
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: wafts out of the open-air kitchen that looks over the
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: water gate. Omelette almost stops to beg for scraps. Fleck
• 27:38
  Speaker 2: watches him debate with himself about the temptation of a
• 27:43
  Speaker 2: good curry snack. But the cat resists and walks on
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: through the restaurant, nose up in the air. Even as
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: humans sitting at the tables hold out their hands to him,
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: Omelette has to make it to the temple. The sun
• 28:08
  Speaker 2: is starting to set to the west, coloring the sky
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: with golds and oranges. Omelette and Lek cross a footbridge
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: and continue on past the small homes that line the
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: water gate. People stand outside gossiping, doing laundry in shared machines,
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: and hanging clothes on racks. Shirts that are hanging to
• 28:45
  Speaker 2: dry dance in the warm, gentle breeze. Small stores and
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: family restaurants are woven into the community seamlessly. Sometimes it's
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: hard to tell where a curry shop begins and a
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: family home ends. Across the water, more modern apartment buildings
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: in silver, brown, and white loom over the smaller neighborhoods
• 29:23
  Speaker 2: that shoot off the main street. Black ducks into a
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: narrow alley and follows a side street. After navigating the
• 29:38
  Speaker 2: labyrinth of houses, they come out on Bantam Tan Road
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: in the shade of some tamarind trees. Now, instead of leaves,
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: the urban canopy is made of layers upon layers of
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: foam and electrical wires. They crisscross over crosswalks and line
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: the main street. This area is a patchwork of ancient
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: stores shuttered with metal grates, as well as gleaming modern
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: amenities like convenience stores and fast food places. It's a
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: typical Bangkok neighborhood. Locals sit around chatting. A group of
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: teenagers are breakdancing to some American rap music. Traffic is
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: heavier up on Pechaburi Road, especially at this time of day.
• 30:54
  Speaker 2: There are lots of cars. but they're still outnumbered by
• 30:58
  Speaker 2: motorcycles and scooters. Leck can't wait until his mom will
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: let him take their scooter out on his own. But
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: he has to be a bit older first, she says.
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: From here, it's almost a straight shot to the temple grounds.
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: As he follows behind Omelette, Leck notices how the neighborhood
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: begins to shift. Gone are the cozy homes and mouth-watering
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: scents of family restaurants. This is the government and palace district.
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: The street is lined with gleaming office buildings and towering
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: apartment complexes, with occasional blocks of smaller low-rises and old storefronts.
• 32:10
  Speaker 2: Under the raised highway, they cross to the north side
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: of the street. Omelette takes extra care when crossing here.
• 32:25
  Speaker 2: He looks behind him skeptically to make sure Lek is
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: doing the same. Lek smiles back at him. Typical old tomcat,
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: he thinks to himself. The buildings thin out as they
• 32:47
  Speaker 2: approach the old royal park. Trees line the street. especially
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: as they pass a large high school on the park
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: grounds with uniformed students who have stayed for after-school activities.
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: Leck is glad he had time to change into a
• 33:14
  Speaker 2: t-shirt and shorts before embarking on this grand cat adventure.
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: It's very warm this evening and he has to admit,
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: Omelette was right. It is a very long walk. Omelette
• 33:36
  Speaker 2: is panting by this time. It's especially warm for someone
• 33:41
  Speaker 2: covered in fur, and he's traveled far with much shorter
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: legs than Lek. Once they're past the park grounds, Lek
• 33:54
  Speaker 2: carefully sets the box down on the ground. Then, he
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: pulls the water out of his backpack, pours some in
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: the cap, and holds it for Omelette, who laps at
• 34:11
  Speaker 2: the water gratefully. Good news, he says as the cat
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: slurps it up. We're almost there. He points across the
• 34:26
  Speaker 2: street and up to where the elaborate gold and red
• 34:30
  Speaker 2: tips of the temple's roof are just coming into view.
• 34:38
  Speaker 2: There's no way Omelette can see it from on the ground,
• 34:42
  Speaker 2: but when the light changes and they cross the next street,
• 34:48
  Speaker 2: the cat's step, a little jauntier, Leck notices. They pass
• 34:55
  Speaker 2: some more government buildings and a school before they can
• 35:00
  Speaker 2: see the modest temple grounds. As they near the fence,
• 35:07
  Speaker 2: Lex spots a few monks walking around the grounds in
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: their saffron-colored robes. There it is, Lex says to Omelette.
• 35:21
  Speaker 2: Your temple. as pure and white as clouds, and as
• 35:28
  Speaker 2: hard as stone. The roof of the temple is ornate,
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: with high, spiked gables in gold and red. Just as
• 35:43
  Speaker 2: Omelette described, the temple itself, which is made of marble,
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: is a cloudy, pearlescent white. The temple's beauty and uniqueness
• 35:57
  Speaker 2: make Lek catch his breath, even though he's seen it
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: so many times before. The quiet drone of monks in
• 36:09
  Speaker 2: prayer drifts on the breeze. Omelette and Lek pass the gatehouses,
• 36:19
  Speaker 2: which are marble white like the temple itself. and turn
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: towards the apartments. Monks go about their business, doing chores
• 36:33
  Speaker 2: and sweeping the alleys. Fleck's grandmother has taught him well.
• 36:41
  Speaker 2: He stops and gives a polite bow to every monk
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: they pass. Lek notices many cats lazing around, tucked into
• 36:56
  Speaker 2: little alcoves, or even stretched out across the middle of
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: the path. Used to these small companions, the monks walk
• 37:09
  Speaker 2: around them. Lek can see why Omlet would want to
• 37:15
  Speaker 2: bring his family here. Even though the cats still live outside,
• 37:23
  Speaker 2: the monks are affectionate towards them, and they seem to
• 37:28
  Speaker 2: be well cared for. Omelette stops in front of another
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: cassia bush, not much bigger than the one where he
• 37:39
  Speaker 2: used to live. Yes, this is good, he tells Lek.
• 37:49
  Speaker 2: This will be a safe place for the kittens to
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: grow up. Without another word, he ducks under the bush
• 37:59
  Speaker 2: and disappears. Bleck gently places the box down and glances
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: at Hashbrown. Her tail swishes happily, even as the kittens
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: start a fresh chorus of squeaks and meows. What he
• 38:21
  Speaker 2: means to say is thank you, says Hashbrown. He was
• 38:27
  Speaker 2: almost too proud to ask for help, but I'm glad
• 38:32
  Speaker 2: he did. Me too, Lek agrees, as he helps her
• 38:40
  Speaker 2: lift the kittens out one by one. the wriggling, squeaking
• 38:49
  Speaker 2: kittens slowly wobble their way under the bush, following the
• 38:54
  Speaker 2: scent of their mother. She glances back at Lek one
• 39:03
  Speaker 2: last time, giving him a slow, thankful blink before heading
• 39:10
  Speaker 2: inside their new home. The last kitten to wander under
• 39:19
  Speaker 2: the bush is Roti. Lek gives her an affectionate rub
• 39:26
  Speaker 2: on the head and scoots her in after her. her family.
• 39:35
  Speaker 2: Then he stands, dusts off his knees, and glances up
• 39:40
  Speaker 2: at the sky, which is now a deep pink-purple. It's
• 39:49
  Speaker 2: time to head back to his apartment, he thinks to himself.
• 39:57
  Speaker 2: With little ceremony, but with a feeling of warmth inside
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: his chest, he walks back past the temple and starts
• 40:09
  Speaker 2: the journey home. Thank you. Thanks for watching! Thank you.
• 41:28
  Speaker 1: Thank you for watching. So, Thank you.
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: Thanks for watching! Thank you. Thank you.